[Texascavers] New NPS Podcast alerts People to Threat to Smokies Bat Populations :

[JerryAtkin]

 
New Podcast alerts People to Threat to Smokies Bat  Populations
January 20, 2011
By _Scott_ (http://www.nc-cherokee.com/theonefeather/author/scotmckie37/)  
 
Bats play a significant role in the natural world and this  biological 
function is being threatened by a disease that has already killed off  millions 
of bats in the northeast United States.  A new podcast recently  released by 
Great Smoky Mountains National Park describes Park bat and cave  resources 
and the potential threat of the often fatal disease known as  white-nose 
syndrome (WNS) to its bat populations.  The in-depth podcast,  produced by 
Great Smoky Mountains Association, is posted on the Park’s website  
_http://www.nps.gov/grsm/photosmultimedia/wns-bat-video.htm_ 
(http://www.nps.gov/grsm/photosmultimedia/wns-bat-video.htm) .   


In addition, a new bat exhibit has been installed at the Park’s  Sugarlands 
Visitor Center, giving visitors a chance to learn about these often  
misunderstood mammals.   
“The  educational materials provide a wealth of information on bat biology, 
their  roosting and foraging behavior, the potential implications of WNS 
and what  researchers and biologists are doing to manage this threat, as well 
as how the  public can help protect bats,” said Bill Stiver, Park Wildlife 
Biologist.
The Park  is home to at least 11 species of bats, a primary group of flying 
mammals that  play a critical role in the health of ecosystems by consuming 
forest and  agricultural crop insects—such as moths, beetles and 
mosquitoes.  One of  the species in the Park, the Indiana bat, is federally 
endangered 
 and  another, the Rafinesque’s big-eared bat, is a state listed species of 
concern in  both Tennessee and North Carolina.   In the winter of 2010, two 
little  brown bats in a Park cave tested positive for a newly-described 
fungus,  Geomyces destructans, which is thought to be the cause of WNS, a  
symptom that appears on the faces of bats as a white frothy  substance.   
In an  effort to prevent the unintentional spread of the fungus by people, 
the Park  closed all of its 16 caves and two mine complexes to public entry 
in 2009.   The Park’s caves serve as important hibernacula (place of rest) 
and the closure  is still in effect as researchers try to understand how the 
disease is being  transmitted from bat to bat and from cave to cave.  
Violators face fines of  up to $5,000 or six months imprisonment.
WNS was  first detected in the Northeast in 2006 and is quickly spreading 
south and has  been found in cave systems as far west as Oklahoma.  According 
to  biologists from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, WNS is taking a 
heavy toll  on bats that hibernate in caves and mines and has the potential for 
wiping out  federally-endangered species such as the Indiana bats and even 
more common  species of bats such as the little brown bat.  
Scientists  theorize that the fungus irritates the bats, making them 
restless and causing  them to wake early burning precious fat reserves needed 
during winter  hibernation.  They speculate that the affected bats could freeze 
to death  or starve before the insects on which they feed emerge in the 
spring.   There is still much to be learned about WNS.  Fish and Wildlife 
Service  officials say that no human illnesses related to the disease have been 
 
documented, but humans could certainly feel the effects of losing entire bat  
species which help to keep insect populations in check.  One little brown  
bat can eat up to 1,000 of those pesky mosquitoes in one hour. 
The  National Park Service is taking an active role in developing 
monitoring and  surveillance strategies and containment protocols for its 
caves.  The 
Great  Smoky Mountains National Park is cooperatively working with other 
parks and  federal, local and state agencies across the country to protect 
bats and manage  cave habitats.Ongoing research in the Smokies includes  
monitoring bat populations in the winter during hibernation and tracking bats 
in  the summer to determine habitat use.  Park biologists are taking 
additional  steps to better understand bat populations and their habitats to 
help 
officials  identify potential impacts of this fungus on the Smokies 
resources.This winter biologists will test other bat species for the 
fungus. 
Park  managers are also asking visitors to help biologists monitor bats by 
reporting  unusual bat behavior, appearing out of season, or one that 
appears to be sick or  injured. For human safety, it is important not to touch 
or 
handle a bat.   Reports on bat incidents inside the Park can be made to the 
Park’s visitor  centers or a Park Ranger.   Unusual bat activity outside the 
Park  should be reported to state wildlife agencies. 
- Source: NPS 
_http://www.nc-cherokee.com/theonefeather/2011/01/20/new-podcast-alerts-peop
le-to-threat-to-smokies-bat-populations/_ 
(http://www.nc-cherokee.com/theonefeather/2011/01/20/new-podcast-alerts-people-to-thr

[Texascavers] "Sanctum"...

[Robert Tait]

I figure it would be great to show the film as an "intro to caving" the next
time I take a batch of boy scouts to Clarksville, her in update new York.

I  got no argument with Aussie style rapping.  It's inherent in the nature
of hemisphere... just like toilets flushing backwards..

Hope y'all have a happy and prosperous new year!

Rob

In upstate New York.

[Texascavers] Re: realistic caving in movies

[David]

Here is a realistic caving video, that was just posted on YouTube 2
weeks ago.

   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cbEBs5f11M

Would the general public pay $ 10 to see it at a theater when it is
free on YouTube?


The best part is the shot of the bolt-climber at 6:49.

I don't care for the music.

Note they throw some serious rocks down the pit and don't yell,
"Rock!"     What if they
busted a bunch of pristine formations down there.   Unlikely, I guess.    Oztotl
would have eventually sent them tumbling anyways.   Right?    What
other choice did they
have?

I am making a wild guess that the cavers are somewhere inside this mountain:

 http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Grigne.jpg

David Locklear

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[Texascavers] interesting video

[David]

Last night,

 the History Channel aired a short interesting video in one of
its Modern Marvel series, about a unique enterprise at Luray
Caverns.

I looked on their episode list and could not find it,
so maybe it is too new to be listed?

 http://www.history.com/shows/modern-marvels/episodes#slide-21


The manager of the cave is interviewed and explains the process for
removing coins from their wishing well and the procedures they
have for getting the coins cleaned and donated to charities.   They
claim their wishing well raises more money for charities than
any other wishing well in a cave.

He states the city has a secret committee that determines which
charity receives the money, which is about $ 30,000 annually.

Ref:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeNFXezISJU

Personally,  I found their operation to be very inefficient, and a burden
on too many volunteers who haul the loot to the truck on the surface,
but it was still a well made video and interesting to watch.It seemed
mostly made for curious kids.

David Locklear

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RE: [Texascavers] Will new film "Sanctum" be the "Vertical Limit" of Caving?

[Scott Boyd]

We also know it's for entertainment (to make money), not a documentary 
accurately portraying caving techniques. (Did you expect it to be accurate 
and/or realistic Tim?)

Caves are in 3D, so the 3D movie must be realistic, right? 

Scott

--- On Sat, 1/22/11, Louise Power  wrote:

From: Louise Power 
Subject: RE: [Texascavers] Will new film "Sanctum" be the "Vertical Limit" of 
Caving?
To: "Texas Cavers" 
List-Post: texascavers@texascavers.com
Date: Saturday, January 22, 2011, 8:20 PM




Whadda you expect? It's from James Cameron, most recently of Avitar fame. Let's 
face it guys, it's not a film for cavers, it's a film for thrill seekers who 
want to confirm in their own minds that you have to be crazy to be a caver. 
AND, IT'S IN 3D!!!
Well, you don't have to be crazy, but it helps.
Louise 

List-Post: texascavers@texascavers.com
Date: Sat, 22 Jan 2011 17:40:36 -0800
From: markageetxca...@yahoo.com
To: gonza...@msu.edu; texascavers@texascavers.com
Subject: Re: [Texascavers] Will new film "Sanctum" be the "Vertical Limit" of 
Caving?


 

#yiv2137401650 .yiv2137401650ExternalClass DIV
{}

Fo Fo, I feel the same way. I like a good movie. 





From: Fofo 
To: Cavers Texas 
Sent: Sat, January 22, 2011 7:34:26 PM
Subject: Re: [Texascavers] Will new film "Sanctum" be the "Vertical Limit" of 
Caving?

Oh, who are we kidding? We will _all_ see it, like The Descent and The Cave, 
and then when it's out on DVD someone will have friends over (hey, a drinking 
game when every time there's something completely out of normal caving happens 
on screen can get pretty interesting) or it'll be shown at a grotto social.

I'm looking forward to it!

     - Fofo






On Jan 22, 2011 17:24, Tim Stich  wrote: 

Here's the trailer. I have a bad feeling about it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaZHjv3ASfw

It seems to have all of the earmarks of an exploitation style hack job. Stupid, 
needless bickering within the expedition group. Backwards, Aussie-style 
rappelling. All that seems to be missing is the nitro.

So who's going to go see it? I'll wait for your reviews.

-Tim

  



  

Re: [Texascavers] Will new film "Sanctum" be the "Vertical Limit" of Caving?

[Nico Escamilla]

I might even drive to Austin or San Antone to watch it cause who knows when
it'll come out down here, if at all.

Nico


 --
> *From:* Fofo 
> *To:* Cavers Texas 
> *Sent:* Sat, January 22, 2011 7:34:26 PM
> *Subject:* Re: [Texascavers] Will new film "Sanctum" be the "Vertical
> Limit" of Caving?
>
> Oh, who are we kidding? We will _all_ see it, like The Descent and The
> Cave, and then when it's out on DVD someone will have friends over (hey, a
> drinking game when every time there's something completely out of normal
> caving happens on screen can get pretty interesting) or it'll be shown at a
> grotto social.
>
> I'm looking forward to it!
>
>  - Fofo
>
>
>
>  --
> On Jan 22, 2011 17:24, Tim Stich  wrote:
>
> Here's the trailer. I have a bad feeling about it.
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaZHjv3ASfw
>
> It seems to have all of the earmarks of an exploitation style hack job.
> Stupid, needless bickering within the expedition group. Backwards,
> Aussie-style rappelling. All that seems to be missing is the nitro.
>
> So who's going to go see it? I'll wait for your reviews.
>
> -Tim
>
>

RE: [Texascavers] caving in the news

[Louise Power]

That's quite an article. I find it very interesting that the leader of this 
expedition is a woman. Not common in Middle Eastern countries. From the looks 
of things she's got quite an amazing group working with her. I hope they find 
something interesting.

> From: dlocklea...@gmail.com
> Date: Sat, 22 Jan 2011 14:07:52 -0800
> To: texascavers@texascavers.com
> Subject: [Texascavers] caving in the news
> 
> The link below was published today and describes a ridgewalking trip
> in one of the Northern Emirates,
> ( of the UAE in the middle east )
> 
>  http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/seeking-dreams-in-realm-of-jinn
> 
> Ref:
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ras_al-Khaimah
> 
> 
> From this article, it appears that Dr. Tadej Slabe is the leading cave 
> scientist
> in the world and is from Slovenia.
> 
> Their goal appears to be to find caves over 50 meters deep.
> 
> -
> Visit our website: http://texascavers.com
> To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com
> For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com
> 
  

RE: [Texascavers] Will new film "Sanctum" be the "Vertical Limit" of Caving?

[Louise Power]

Whadda you expect? It's from James Cameron, most recently of Avitar fame. Let's 
face it guys, it's not a film for cavers, it's a film for thrill seekers who 
want to confirm in their own minds that you have to be crazy to be a caver. 
AND, IT'S IN 3D!!!
Well, you don't have to be crazy, but it helps.
Louise 

List-Post: texascavers@texascavers.com
Date: Sat, 22 Jan 2011 17:40:36 -0800
From: markageetxca...@yahoo.com
To: gonza...@msu.edu; texascavers@texascavers.com
Subject: Re: [Texascavers] Will new film "Sanctum" be the "Vertical Limit" of 
Caving?



Fo Fo, I feel the same way. I like a good movie. 





From: Fofo 
To: Cavers Texas 
Sent: Sat, January 22, 2011 7:34:26 PM
Subject: Re: [Texascavers] Will new film "Sanctum" be the "Vertical Limit" of 
Caving?

Oh, who are we kidding? We will _all_ see it, like The Descent and The Cave, 
and then when it's out on DVD someone will have friends over (hey, a drinking 
game when every time there's something completely out of normal caving happens 
on screen can get pretty interesting) or it'll be shown at a grotto social.

I'm looking forward to it!

 - Fofo






On Jan 22, 2011 17:24, Tim Stich  wrote: 

Here's the trailer. I have a bad feeling about it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaZHjv3ASfw

It seems to have all of the earmarks of an exploitation style hack job. Stupid, 
needless bickering within the expedition group. Backwards, Aussie-style 
rappelling. All that seems to be missing is the nitro.

So who's going to go see it? I'll wait for your reviews.

-Tim

  

Re: [Texascavers] Will new film "Sanctum" be the "Vertical Limit" of Caving?

[mark gee]

Fo Fo, I feel the same way. I like a good movie. 





From: Fofo 
To: Cavers Texas 
Sent: Sat, January 22, 2011 7:34:26 PM
Subject: Re: [Texascavers] Will new film "Sanctum" be the "Vertical Limit" of 
Caving?

Oh, who are we kidding? We will _all_ see it, like The Descent and The Cave, 
and 
then when it's out on DVD someone will have friends over (hey, a drinking game 
when every time there's something completely out of normal caving happens on 
screen can get pretty interesting) or it'll be shown at a grotto social.

I'm looking forward to it!

     - Fofo





On Jan 22, 2011 17:24, Tim Stich  wrote: 

Here's the trailer. I have a bad feeling about it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaZHjv3ASfw

It seems to have all of the earmarks of an exploitation style hack job. Stupid, 
needless bickering within the expedition group. Backwards, Aussie-style 
rappelling. All that seems to be missing is the nitro.

So who's going to go see it? I'll wait for your reviews.

-Tim



  

Re: [Texascavers] Will new film "Sanctum" be the "Vertical Limit" of Caving?

[Fofo]

Oh, who are we kidding? We will _all_ see it, like The Descent and The Cave, 
and then when it's out on DVD someone will have friends over (hey, a drinking 
game when every time there's something completely out of normal caving happens 
on screen can get pretty interesting) or it'll be shown at a grotto social.

I'm looking forward to it!

     - Fofo



On Jan 22, 2011 17:24, Tim Stich  wrote: 

Here's the trailer. I have a bad feeling about it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaZHjv3ASfw

It seems to have all of the earmarks of an exploitation style hack job. Stupid, 
needless bickering within the expedition group. Backwards, Aussie-style 
rappelling. All that seems to be missing is the nitro.


So who's going to go see it? I'll wait for your reviews.

-Tim

[Texascavers] Will new film "Sanctum" be the "Vertical Limit" of Caving?

[Tim Stich]

Here's the trailer. I have a bad feeling about it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaZHjv3ASfw

It seems to have all of the earmarks of an exploitation style hack job.
Stupid, needless bickering within the expedition group. Backwards,
Aussie-style rappelling. All that seems to be missing is the nitro.

So who's going to go see it? I'll wait for your reviews.

-Tim

[Texascavers] caving in the news

[David]

The link below was published today and describes a ridgewalking trip
in one of the Northern Emirates,
( of the UAE in the middle east )

 http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/seeking-dreams-in-realm-of-jinn

Ref:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ras_al-Khaimah


>From this article, it appears that Dr. Tadej Slabe is the leading cave 
>scientist
in the world and is from Slovenia.

Their goal appears to be to find caves over 50 meters deep.

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Re: [Texascavers] Public web site on the TSA Spring Convention

[Gill Edigar]

Well, internally the CIA is only external. But externally you'll find
that they are also internal. When a lead crosses the line they'll
follow it.
--Ediger

On Fri, Jan 21, 2011 at 6:41 PM, Stefan Creaser  wrote:

> I thought it would be the FBI, aren't the CIA 'external'?

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